Food insecurity predicts restrictive and compensatory eating behaviors

Kosmas et al. (2025), International Journal of Eating Disorders

A recent study examined how food insecurity influences a range of eating disorder symptoms beyond binge eating. While most existing research has focused on binge-related patterns, this study expands the conversation—finding that, over a three-month period, individuals facing food scarcity were significantly more likely to develop or intensify dietary restriction, excessive exercise, and purging behaviors. The findings highlight how instability in food access can drive both physical and psychological distress, underscoring the need to view food insecurity as a risk factor across the entire spectrum of eating disorders.

Takeaway for Providers: Food insecurity can manifest in diverse and often restrictive ways. Recognizing this complexity helps us better understand and respond to the full spectrum of eating disorder behaviors connected to scarcity. Read the full article ›

Centering Equity in the Conversation

We can’t talk about food insecurity and eating disorders without talking about the BIPOC community. Structural racism, anti-Blackness, and fatphobia shape who experiences food scarcity, how it’s perceived, and whose struggles are believed.

To deepen this understanding, we’re highlighting the work of Patrilie Hernandez (they/she)—nutrition equity advocate and founder of Embody Lib—whose writing challenges traditional narratives of hunger and healing. In “Food Insecurity, Anti-Blackness, & Fatphobia: What Food Access Advocates Need to Understand,” Patrilie invites readers to confront how power, bias, and access intersect with nourishment and recovery.

Read the full piece ›

Eating Disorders & Food Insecurity – A Panel Discussion

Food insecurity doesn’t just shape what’s on a person’s plate—it influences how they relate to food, body, and self. In this powerful discussion, experts and lived-experience voices explore the intersection of hunger, trauma, and eating disorders. Together, they unpack how limited access, chronic stress, and systemic inequities contribute to disordered eating patterns—and what providers can do to respond with compassion and context.

Why watch:

• Understand how food insecurity drives both restrictive and binge-related behaviors
• Hear firsthand stories that bring the data to life
• Gain insight into building treatment approaches that honor access, equity, and safety

This conversation is an essential listen for clinicians, advocates, and anyone committed to healing beyond privilege and assumption.

Watch the discussion here ›

Watch This Space: Voices Shifting the Conversation on Food Scarcity & Eating Disorders

Carolyn Black Becker, PhD — Trinity University

A pioneer connecting food insecurity with eating-disorder pathology among marginalized populations. Her multi-site collaborations continue to examine how structural scarcity influences eating-disorder risk and treatment outcomes.

> DigitalCommons Trinity – Recent publications

Vivienne M. Hazzard, PhD — Michigan State University

Lead author of the landmark review “Food Insecurity and Eating Disorders: A Review of Emerging Evidence.” Her current research expands into longitudinal data exploring how economic stressors and food access shape binge-eating trajectories. > Hazzard et al., 2020 Review (PubMed)

Lisa Smith Kilpela, PhD — UT Health San Antonio

Co-principal investigator for the NIH-funded PROSPERA Study, which examines binge-eating disorder and food insecurity among older Hispanic women. Findings expected in 2026. > UT Health San Antonio announcement on PROSPERA

Keesha M. Middlemass, PhD — Howard University

Currently leading new research on food insecurity in returning-prison populations, broadening how the field understands eating-disordered behavior within systems of incarceration and re-entry. > Howard University faculty profile

Christine C. Call, PhD — University of Pittsburgh

Researcher examining the link between food insecurity and disordered eating during pregnancy. Her recent study of WIC participants found that nearly one in four experienced disordered eating behaviors, with the highest rates among those facing food insecurity—highlighting the need for integrated nutrition and mental-health support during pregnancy. > Call et al., 2023 — Disordered Eating During Pregnancy (WIC Study) (PubMed)

Patrilie Hernández, MS (they/she) — Embody Lib

Anti-hunger advocate and body-liberation educator centering lived experience in conversations about access and disordered eating. Their current projects focus on connecting the hunger-relief and eating-disorder fields through equity-driven education and storytelling.> Embody Lib